VioletChaos

dang, but i've been waiting for this to show up- and now it's here! yippie! in the bottle: holy CRAP this is just. like. cheesecake. wet on skin: the cheesecake remains and now i'm picking out a perfect graham cracker crust under it. how DOES beth do it?!?!? dry down: a ginger spice element emerges giving a full impression of a pumpkin cheesecake situation and oh GOD is this making me hungry :attempts to chew on arm without success: in all: more please?

in the bottle: candy corn! full on! weeee! wet on skin: more of the same. i see what people are saying about that boozy note. reminds me of eggnog (the food substance, not the oil) i likes it! dry down: a fabulous sweet spicy note comes out strong. reminds me of every food-spice-halloween candle i ever loved, but this one actually smells *good* on me! huzzah! in all: although just acquired, i can already see i'm gonna have to start scoping out another bottle!

this is one of *three* delectable bottles i acquired off the lovely carnival noir, and i am most pleased with all in the bottle: chocolate! straight up, no-holds-barred. reminds me slightly of scratch n sniff variety of me youth. :wistful: wet on skin: more of the same, with the chocolate opening a bit to become lighter, more 'real'. also the orange is peeping out just a hair. dry down: the choco love still dominates but is joined by a slight sweet-spicy combo that must be the currants. in all: this is the second 13 i've tried (the other was the purple label) and i like this one for being a bit lighter and a little more complex. whereas the other seemed strictly for wintertime, i can already see wearing this one year round. yeah!

i have been waiting to review this, and i've got very, very high hopes! :fingers crossed: in the bottle: vaguely foodie, but with offeratory incense under it, sort of what i get from Dia de los Muertos, but with an eastern edge. wet on skin: a floral rises up, but i'm definitely getting hints of those raisins as well. dry down: i think because of the inclusion of cardamom i was hoping for something more chai-like. this is more like incense i get in little india, mixed with thick jasmine and a slight touch of the coconut and raisin without being foodie at all. in all: although not what i anticipated, a beautiful, very complex scent, that i will cherish throughout the year.

in the bottle: fruity and yummy! like candied fruits and flowers. wet on skin: the rose starts to peek out, but the sweet fruit remains (must be the dragon's blood?) dry down: the rose comes out strong and this changes into something akin to being in the sorts of magic shops they had when i was a kid in '70's: incense, fruit smoke, and flavored rolling papers in all: a sexy little number, i'll likely wear this out dancing when i want to attract some attention.

in the bottle: cream and hazelnut, with a dark undernote of something sinister i can't name. wet on skin: i'm catching little whiffs of the cherry, but it's buried under the hazelnut/cream so that i only get it once in a while. dry down: the cherry recedes further, leaving me with a hazelnut/vanilla combo that is to die for. in all: SO glad i went with my gut and bought the 5ml bottle!!!

in the imp: lots of rose, but in a gentle, non-cloying way. wet on skin: rose rose rose. like being in a rose garden- it's really natural, not perfume rose at ALL. dry down: gorgeous rose! anyone that knows me knows that i'm not big on florals, but man oh man is this a keeper. in all: not only do i love this, but i think THIS is the one i've been waiting for, to enable my best friend with!

in the imp: the vaguely turpentine smell of a painting studio. not unpleasant, but... wet on skin: the turp becomes stronger. erm. dry down: more of the same, with an undernote of something citrus, like gum copal. in all: not for me or my skin chemistry, i'm afraid.

in the imp: i get dragon's blood, myrrh and orange mixing into a beautiful offeratory scent. wet on skin: the citrus and dragon's blood continue to dance and are now joined by something i can't quite name...something creamy-nutty-floral all at the same time. whatever it is, it's swoon-worthy. dry down: everything mixes in such a way so that i come to a point where i can no longer pull out individual notes, but just have something entirely new to smell. in all: and that smell is SO yummy!

florals are not my total thing, but i like *some* of them, so lessee what we can do here: in the imp: fetid. like stinky socks and grandma perfume. :shudder: wet on skin: a slightly musty rose element comes out. dry down: the sweat-sock thing goes away, leaving the dusty rose thing behind more strongly. in all: SO not for me.

in the imp: sweet and VERY lemony, like Lemonheads candy. wet on skin: more of the same. a persistent sweet lemon. dry down: a lemon verbena comes out full force. that's it in a nutshell. this could be a lemon verbena SN, it's so pure. in all: a good summer time smell for those who are partial to all things lemon-y.

A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. in the imp: very lemony, with some heavy floral throw in for good measure. wet on skin: more lemon, and sadly, it's become a dishsoap lemon dry down: the lemon fades back a bit, and the peony comes up. i *can* smell the tea, but it's like a Lipton orange-pekoe sort of tea, and it's drown heavily in lemon. in all: not terrible if you're partial to floral/citrus mixes. which i'm not. off to swap!

LOVE!!! ok, here's why: in the bottle: CHOCOLATE. that's. all. swoon-worthy in it's richness, i might add. wet on skin: more chocolate, and a gorgeous, rich spicy note gets thrown into the mix. dry down: this is kind of what i'd thought Dia de los Muertos would be, and wasn't: a beautiful cinnamon-chocolate mix, very, very reminiscent of Mexican hot chocolate. mmmmm in all: a warm, foodie scent that lasts for hours to keep you going through the long, cold winter afternoons. ADDED April 2: in the bottle: that rich cocoa absolute that i loved with the white label version wet on skin: WOW! i get clove, something a bit citrus that might be the starfruit, and something spicy/sweet i can't identify dry down: chocolate-laden, but tempered with the clove and fruit- a little bit of peach now-and it's really a good food oil. in all: foodies will adore this one, but some open-minded spice fans should give it a try too!

in the bottle: pure, strong violet. no chaser, straight up. wet on skin: a strong mix of violet and gardenia, with violet in the lead. it becomes so strong that it smells like soap dry down: the violet mellows and softens as does the gardenia. i get NO vanilla in the mix at all. in all: after a time it morphs and on me smells *just* like Love's Baby Soft. this reminds me of my junior high school prom, and i don't mind that in the least, actually.

This is Dia de los Muertos 2005 version. in the bottle: sweet and floral, but not cloying. it's so layered, it's impossible to pick out a single note! wet on skin: more of the same, but with a slight fruity edge coming out. again, though, impossible to name anything distinct. i like that! dry down: an incredible throw, as people have said. it's mellowed now and reminds me *exactly* of this little tin of solid hippy perfume my mom had in the 70's. i loved it so much as a baby that i tried to take a bite out of it! she kept the tin, with my little baby teeth marks, until the day she died. in all: although i don't wish to eat it think scent is wonderful and evocative of some distant by-gone era. beautiful, timeless, nostalgic. simply gorgeous.

in the bottle: green cucumber-y goodness! wet on skin: more cucumber, with a *slight* hint of floral. maybe it's that hyacinth? dry down: the hyacinth comes out in a more pronounced way, while the green cucumber is still there, but lessens. in all: a lovely 'clean' sort of scent, the kind i like to wear when it's 105 outside and i'm melting in a pool of my own flesh.

in the bottle: cream, incense, grape. yum! wet on skin: something floral mixes with a sugary smell, like lilacs and funnel cake. dry down: the cream-incense combo make a comeback, the floral lightly coming out from behind. in all: beautiful, sexy and unusual. something i'd wear out dancing, or on a first date (if i wasn't about to get married )

in the bottle: this is so weird: it's like cream soda and magic markers. i seriously can't describe it any better than that. wet on skin: that root beer thing people talk about is showing itself, plus something sweeter and more resinous poking through. dry down: like cream soda and a light rose! in all: unusual, but i will keep it- it's pretty nice, actually.

in the bottle: damn! MUSKY! wet on skin: musky, with an undertone of ozone and dark, red roses. hmmm. dry down: reminds me of the cheap perfume my great-aunties used to wear when i was a wee one. in all: too perfume-y, too cloying, SO not for me.

in the bottle: darkly floral, resinous undertones. cloying. wet on skin: this smells like floor cleaner. dry down: wow. this is just horrendous on me. rose, but like the distillation of old ladies and embalming fluid fresh from the funeral home- and NOT in a good way. in all: this just does not work on me. trade, anyone???

i have waited oh, so patiently to get my hot little hands on any amount of this, and the fine miss ladybug and i were able to work out a trade. hallelujia! in the imp: delicious buttery, sugary goodness. wet on skin: WOW! i'm getting notes of white cake, a tinge of the blackberry, and LOADS of that afore-mentioned buttery, sugary goodness. dry down: it reminds me of warm scones with clotted cream and berry jam. i am SOOOO in love! in all: i will love this imp with all my heart, and then i will have to hunt down some more- immediately. :D

in the bottle: like strawberry vanilla ice cream. yum! wet on skin: the strawberry morphs into cherry. TREMENDOUS throw! dry down: the fruit becomes more complex. i can pick out notes of plum, cherry, perhaps pomegranite too. the cream is there, but more subtle. in all: i like! a little more sugary than i had quite anticipated, but a lovely, fruity scent. will keep!

in the bottle: butter and sugar. YUM! wet on skin: more butter and sugar, with the faintest, faintest note of pine. good! dry down: the pine comes out a bit more. yes, this smells like a cozy winter night in a cabin: pine and sugar and cuddling up by the fire. in all: i LOVE this- and kinda want to eat it!!!

in the bottle: how to say this? astringent spiciness. nothing definable, just...that. wet on skin: more of the same, but a note of vetiver is coming out now. dry down: a more perfume-y quality is coming out now. i get some heavy, deep florals, but they are again undefinable . and yes, there *is* a smokiness, but it's more of an afterthought than anything major. in all: a sultry, spicy floral. i think i'll need to try this again.

in the imp: straight up rose. wet on skin: more rose. really rosey rose. dry down: still rose, and only rose. in all: if you are a fan of rose, you will LOVE this one. me? i'm picky about my florals, so OFF to the trade pile with thee!